Don't feel sorry for Pusey judge tells jurors in Peter King case

BARBARA GAYLE, Staff Reporter

Senior Puisne Judge Marva McIntosh told the jurors trying the case of 25-year-old Sheldon Pusey, who is charged with the murder of 64-year-old Ambassador Peter King, that Pusey "is not a bad-looking fellow" but they should not feel sorry for him.

The judge, who began her summation yesterday, also told the jurors that they had heard certain words used to describe the deceased.

She was referring to the words defence lawyer Berry Bryan used when addressing the jury.


Erase those words

The judge said the words used to describe King included "sadistic, pervert, piranha". The judge told the jurors to erase those words from their minds because they must not have any prejudice towards the accused or the deceased.

Pusey has been on trial in the Home Circuit Court since January 19.

The Crown is alleging that Pusey chopped and stabbed King at his home at 11A Waterloo Road, St Andrew, between March 19 and 20, 2006. The body had a total of 30 injuries, which included four stab wounds to the chest and four chop wounds to the neck.

Pusey said in his defence that he went to King's house about a job. He said King was attempting to "rape" him when he took a knife from a cup on a bedside table and stabbed him.


Not to speculate

The judge in her summation called on the jurors not to speculate. She also told them that in a murder case, the Crown did not have to prove motive.

"You are here to determine on the prosecution's case whether this accused murdered the deceased," the judge said.

The jurors were told that they were the sole judges of the facts and were called on to draw reasonable inferences.

There were no eyewitness to the murder and the judge told the 12-member jury that the Crown was relying on circumstantial evidence to prove its case.

The jurors were told that circumstantial evidence could be powerful evidence but they had to examine the evidence with care.

The judge will continue her summation when the trial resumes today.